Carnival of Death
by ChristyK
Summary: Mysterious Disappearances lead Dean and Sam to a carnival
1. Chapter 1

Here's another one I wrote awhile back. Hope you like it.

**Carnival of Death**

**6:30 AM**

The Winchester brother's pulled up to the carnival and parked in the employee's lot.

"Well what do you think?" Dean said as he put his arm on the back of the seat and looked out Sammy's side window.

"It looks like a carnival." Sam said as he too looked out of the window.

"No crap." Dean said smacking his hand on the back of Sam's head.

"Well what do you want me to say?"

"Do you think it's worth a look?"

"We really don't have much to go on except according to the paper four people said they were going to the carnival and disappeared, all on different days."

"It might not be anything supernatural, it could be any number of things…runaways, kidnapping…."

"Serial killer." Sam added.

"Yeah, even that."

"Well we're here so I guess it won't hurt to check it out."

"Well let's see if we can get ourselves hired."

**Carnival**

They walked over to one of the booths that was just starting to set up for the morning crowds.

"Hey can you tell us where the manager's office is?" Dean asked.

The man looked up at him then over at Sam then he hitched his thumb over his shoulder.

"The big blue trailer at the far end." The man said as he went back to his work.

"Thanks." Sam said as he and Dean headed for the trailer. "What if they don't need any help?"

"Carnivals always need help, people come and go all the time." Dean said as he and Sam walked up the steps of the trailer and knocked on the door.

"What?" A man's gruff voice sounded from inside the trailer.

"We're looking for jobs." Dean shouted through the door.

The door flew open and a large man in his forties stood there looking at him.

"What can you do?"

"Just about anything." Dean said smiling.

"In trouble with the law?" The man knew that a lot of criminals liked traveling with carnivals because they kept moving and were never in one place more then a week or two. "Because if you are, we don't want ya."

"No, no trouble with the law. Just looking for a little change of scenery."

"We can always use roustabouts and actually I do have an opening at the House of Mirrors and I need a ride operator." The man looked back and forth between them sizing them up.

"Just show us what needs to be done and we'll get it done for you."

"You keep a fourth of what you make at the stands, the rest goes to me. Everyone here helps to set up and tear down the equipment. Cause any trouble and if I find out it's your fault, I'll fire you on the spot…. Understood?"

"Understood….Don't worry, we won't cause any trouble." Dean said.

"Then we're hired?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, you're hired."

"We appreciate it." Dean said putting out his hand. "I'm Dean Connors and this is my brother Sam."

The man shook their hands.

"I'm Kyle Winston but most around here just call me on I'll show you around."

He took them around the carnival introducing them and showing them what they would be doing. Dean would operate the roller coaster and Sam would be at the House of Mirrors. They also would help to set up and tear down the equipment as the carnival moved from town to town. He then showed them one of the few empty trailers that they could stay in.

"You can start today. Go to your assign posts and they'll teach you what to do. Do a good job, don't cause any trouble, and you're welcome to stay. But if you boys get in any trouble, or bring the law down on us for any reason…." Kyle didn't need to continue, they got the message. "Carnies are a strange bunch; they stick together like glue and watch out for each other. But they're suspicious of any new comers….It's going to take awhile before they accept you. So just don't rub anybody the wrong way and you should be fine."

"Thanks. We appreciate you letting us stay."

"Well then get out there and earn your keep."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

I appreciate the reviews, thanks. I had trouble with the site zapping some of the words in my sentences and tried to fix them but the site kept zapping them. So I apologize for a sentence or two that words were cut out of.

**Carnival of Death**

Chapter two

"Well we're in." Sam said after Kyle left the trailer.

"Yeah…"

"You don't sound too happy. What's up?"

"I'm fine…it's just that the roller coaster and the House of Mirrors are almost at opposite ends of the runway."

"So?"

"So how am I going to watch your back?"

"I can take care of myself Dean." Sam smiled. "You don't have to baby-sit me."

"Look Sam, we don't know what we're up against and until we do…."

"Dean I know Dad drilled it into you over and over that you were responsible for me….but you're not. I'm not a kid anymore; you don't have to watch out for me all the time."

"My little boy's all grown up." Dean said grinning as he patted Sam on his cheek; Sam quickly slapped his hand away. "But seriously Sam until we find out what's going on we keep in touch by phone. You check in with me every half hour."

"Okay Mom." Sam grinned back.

"I mean it smart ass. If I don't hear from you I'm coming looking for you and you damn well better have a good excuse or I'm so kicking your butt."

"Okay, okay…" Sam threw his hands up; he knew it was useless to argue with Dean when he was in his big brother mode.

"Well let's go get the car, and then we better get to work. We don't want to get fired before we even start."

**Later**

They brought the car over and parked it next to their trailer then headed out to their jobs. Dean's job consisted of operating the roller coaster and making sure the track and cars were in good working order. Sam's job was taking tickets and keeping the house clean and the mirrors polished. The day went well for both of them and during their breaks they mingled with the other carnival employees.

Sam walked over to a girl who operated a paint ball game at a booth next to his.

"Hi." He smiled walking over to her as she sat behind her booth taking a break. She looked up shyly and smiled back at him. "I'm Sam." He said sticking out his hand. "It's my first day." She seemed nervous and at first looked around to make sure no one was watching then reached out and shook his hand.

"I'm Janice."

"You okay Janice?" Sam asked seeing the girl's nervousness.

"Yeah…it's just that my boyfriend Jack doesn't like me talking to other guys."

"Why? We're just talking, what's wrong with that?"

"Well…he's really jealous. He gets really mad sometimes." She said rubbing her arm without realizing it.

Sam looked down at the dark purple bruises that covered Janice's arm.

"Did he do that?" He reached down and gently picked up her arm. She quickly pulled it away.

"Oh that…" She tried to cover the bruise. "I shouldn't have talked back to him."

"He hurt you because you talked back?" Sam said softly looking into the girls face.

"He didn't mean to." She quickly jumped to Jack's defense. "He's just got a bad temper that's all."

"Janice, there's no reason a man should hit a woman, it just isn't right."

Janice looked at him and gave him a small smile.

"You know you're sweet….Your mama raised you right."

Sam swallowed hard.

"My mom died when I was six months old. My brother and dad raised me, mostly my brother."

"Well they did a good job….You're a good man Sam, I can tell."

"Thanks." Sam looked down embarrassed then looked back at the girl. "Hey, could I buy you a soda or something?"

Sam didn't see the man that had come up behind them between the booths. He was about thirty and built like a weight lifter.

"You ain't buying her anything." Jack said.

"Hey…" Sam put his hands up wanting to avoid a confrontation. "Just being friendly."

"Well take your friendship somewhere else."

"Look, I don't want to cause any trouble." Sam said as he started walking away hoping he hadn't gotten Janice into trouble with her boyfriend.

Jack walked over to Janice.

"What did I tell you about talking to other men?" Jack grabbed Janice by her arm and roughly pulled her to her feet.

"Nothing happened Jack, we were just talking." The girl gave a little yelp of pain as he twisted her arm.

Sam spun around when he heard Janice cry out.

"Let go of her." He said walking over to them.

"This ain't none of your business!" Jack glared at Sam.

"Well I'm making it my business, you're hurting her."

"She's my girl, don't you go telling me how to treat her!" He started to pull Janice away.

"I said let her go. If she wants to go with you she can but she's not going to be forced to."

The man dropped Janice's arm and stormed over till he was standing face to face with Sam. Sam could smell alcohol on the man's breath.

"You're not going to tell me how to treat my girlfriend."

"Oh, but I think I am." Sam said standing his ground.

Jack swung at Sam's face but he managed to side step him and delivered a blow to Jack's stomach, and soon the fight was on.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks again for the reviews.

**Carnival of Death**

Chapter three

Dean was standing in front of the House of Mirrors looking for his brother when he heard a commotion coming from behind the booths. He hurried to the back of the booth and found Sam and Jack in a full blown brawl.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Dean ran over attempting to break it up. He knew Sam must have a good reason for fighting but he also knew he could get fired if the boss saw him.

Dean managed to pull Sam away but as he did Jack sucker punched Sam in the stomach. He dropped to one knee and Jack was just about to kick him in the face when Dean spun around and delivered a blow to his stomach which knocked him to the ground.

"Knock it off!" He yelled at both of them as he helped Sam up. "Sammy what the hell's going on?"

"That son of a bitch is an abusive jerk off!" Sam yelled at the man who had gotten up and was starting to walk away not wanting to get into a fight with two men, but when the man heard him he turned around and started heading back toward Sam.

"Oh is that right!"

"Yeah, that's right." Sam tried to pull away from Dean but Dean grabbed his arm.

"Knock it off Sam!" Dean yelled as he pulled Sam back. "I mean it Sammy knock it off!" Dean then turned toward Jack ready to take him on for sucker punching his brother if he continued toward him. Jack backed off, he had already taken a beating from Sam and he didn't want to take his brother on also.

"You just better watch your back buddy!" Jack yelled at Sam as he took Janice's hand and pulled her away.

"If I see you hurt her again I'm coming after you pal !" Sam yelled at Jack's back.

Jack responded by giving Sam the finger. Sam started once more going after him but Dean grabbed him.

"Damn it Sammy I said knock it off!"

Sam shook Dean's hand off of him but didn't attempt to follow Jack.

"You should have left me finish it!" Sam said to his brother.

"What the hell's going on Sam? I thought you told me I didn't have to watch you constantly, that you weren't a kid anymore. Well it looks to me like I do."

"I was just talking to the girl when that idiot comes up and grabs her by her arm and starts to pull her away."

"And?"

"What do you mean and? The guy was a jerk! You should see the bruises on her arm."

"Sam it's none of our business."

"What! None of our business? If it's none of our business then whose business is it Dean?"

"Look, I don't like it either but these carnies have a completely different set of rules then we're use to."

"So you would have just stood there and let that jerk treat that girl like that?"

"Sam I don't like half the crap I see in this world, but we're here to track down what ever is causing these disappearances and you could have gotten yourself thrown out of here if the boss would have caught you fighting. After we find out what's going on and take care of it…. then he's all yours…" Dean said as he patted Sam on the back. He didn't blame Sam at all, he knew he would have done the same thing in the same circumstances but he also knew if they got thrown out of the carnival they might never find out what happened to the missing people.

**Later**

The rest of the day went by uneventful. The workers then took turns eating at the food tent, and when it was the brother's turn they sat with their co-workers making small talk. Then they decided to see if they could find anything out.

"We heard some townies went missing." Dean said as he took a bite out of his hamburger.

"Yeah, the cops were here trying to pin it on us."

"Do they have any idea what happened to those people?" Sam asked.

"Nope…Seems the kids told their parents they were going to the carnival then never came home."

"Did anybody actually see them here?"

"The cops passed around pictures and a couple of us thought two of them looked familiar….but who knows, thousands of kids pass through here."

"No one saw anything strange, or any weirdos hanging around?"

"You got to be kidding. There are always weirdos at carnivals, it brings them out."

"Why so many questions? You guys cops?" Another man asked.

Dean laughed.

"No we're not cops, just heard some stories."

Just then a bell rang signaling them to return to work while the next shift came in to eat. Dean got up then tapped Sam on the shoulder when he saw he hadn't moved but was looking off into the distance. He glanced over to where his brother was looking just in time to see Jack, who was sitting at the far end of the tent, smile at Sam as he made a slashing motion across his throat.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks a lot for the reviews. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Well tonight's the night guys. SNs back in town! I can't wait! The opener should be awesome!

**Carnival of Death**

Chapter four

"Let it go Sam." Dean said when he looked back at his brother and saw the look in his eyes. He knew Sam wanted nothing more then to finish his fight with Jack. Sam had always been the more sensitive of the two brothers and Dean knew it was eating him alive knowing that Jack was abusive to his girlfriend. Dean himself would like to pulverize the guy but he knew they were there to do a job and knew that was their main priority at the moment.

"Let's get out of here." Sam said getting up and heading out of the tent, unfortunately they had to walk by Jack to get back to their booths.

"Punk." Jack mumbled as Sam walked by.

"Hey buddy, anytime you want to step out back and finish it just let me know." Sam turned around, walked back, and stood in front of him.

"It's you who's going to be finished." Jack said once more making the slashing motion across his throat.

"Oh you think so." Sam glared at Jack. "If I see you hurting your girlfriend again…."

"And what are you going to do about it tough guy?"

Dean could tell Sam was just about ready to grab the guy so he pushed him forward away from the man. Sam hesitated and was temped to turn back to Jack but he kept walking, he knew if he got into a fight in front of the other employees the boss would find out and he'd be fired.

"Hope you have your life insurance paid up kid." Jack yelled to Sam's back. Sam ignored him but Dean on the other hand leaned down and looked into Jack's face.

"You go after my brother, or hurt him in anyway….. You'll answer to me." Dean stated simply then followed Sam out of the tent.

As they walked back to their booths Sam looked over at Dean.

"I can handle my own fights Dean."

"I know you can Sam, but he's the type that's not going to let it rest. Just keep an eye out for him and watch your back."

"I will….but you stay out of it. This doesn't concern you."

"Hey, if it concerns my family it concerns me."

"Dean I'm not in grade school, you don't have to come to my rescue every time a bully picks on me like you used to. I can fight my own battles; I've been doing it for years."

"Hey, I used to have fun saving your butt. Don't take that little pleasure away from me." Dean grinned as he reached up and pinched Sam's cheek.

"Ahhh shut up." Sam smiled back as he pushed Dean's hand away. He knew Dean loved playing the big brother role.

"Seriously Sam, watch your back. That guys a jerk and he might come after you."

"I will." Sam patted Dean on the back as they both headed off in opposite directions to their jobs.

**Later that night **

After the carnival closed down for the night they met back at the trailer.

"Learn anything new?" Dean asked.

"No, not really. I talked to a few people and no one seems to have any idea what happened to those people. The guy at a stand near mine said he remembered seeing the one girl playing some of the games in the area and going into the mirror house but didn't see anything suspicious. He said the only reason he remembered her was because she had long red hair and was pretty. How 'bout you, you find anything out?"

"Nada, it's like they vanished into thin air. Why don't we take a walk tonight and see it the EMF detector picks anything up?"

"Sounds good."

**2:30 AM**

They walked around the entire carnival keeping their eyes on the EMF detector. A couple of times the lights went off and the needle started spiking but it was hard to tell if it was some paranormal activity or from all the electrical equipment needed to run the carnival.

"What do you say we turn in? It's late and we got an early wakeup tomorrow to check out the rides and equipment." Dean said as he stopped in the middle of the runway.

"Might as well, we were over the area four times already and can't find anything unusual. The EMF is useless with all this equipment sucking up electricity."

They headed back to their trailer and turned in for the night.

**The next morning**

Sam got up first and headed down to the food tent. He picked up coffee, doughnuts, and a newspaper and headed back to their trailer. By the time he got there Dean was up and dressed. He handed him one of the coffees and put the doughnuts on the table then sat down on a chair and opened the paper. He read for awhile then looked at Dean.

"Another kid's gone missing." He said as he laid the paper down in front of Dean.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate them. I can't wait to watch the season opener tonight! Finally after all these months……

**Carnival of Death**

Chapter five

Dean picked up the paper and read the bulletin on the front page.

"It says here that the missing girl's mother isn't sure whether she went to a movie or the carnival. It says she had already been at the carnival the two previous nights and her mother was fairly certain she was going to go to a movie instead."

Sam walked over and stood behind Dean then tapped his finger on the girl's picture.

"She looks familiar Dean. I think I saw her early yesterday morning."

"You sure?"

"No….but she looks like a girl that was hanging around with some of the workers…. Dean, one of the people she was hanging around with was Jack."

"You think he might be involved in this?" Dean looked back at his brother.

"Could be….maybe there isn't anything supernatural about the disappearances. Maybe someone here is snatching these people."

"Well let's keep our eyes open especially around Jack. But be careful Sam he's already gunning for you."

Sam gave a little laugh and shook his head.

"The guy's a jerk Dean, he was drunk, and he probably doesn't even remember our little fight."

"You don't know that, just keep your eyes open and I'll do the same."

**Later**

They both went back to their stations and got things set up for the day. As Sam was polishing the mirrors he found a scarf lying on the floor, he picked it up and was about to toss it in the lost and found when he realized he had seen it before. It was the same scarf the missing girl in the picture was wearing. He still had a few minutes before he had to open so he headed down the runway to the roller coaster.

When he got there he could see Dean tightening some bolts on the coaster track.

"Hey!" Sam yelled over to him waving the scarf in the air.

"Be right there." Dean yelled back to him.

Sam turned around and was looking around the area waiting for Dean to come down when he saw Jack off in the distance watching them. When Jack saw him he quickly walked away.

"I wonder what he's up to." Sam said to himself. It was obvious Jack didn't want him to see him.

Sam looked back up at Dean just as he threw a switch starting the roller coaster while he continued fastening a loose bolt on a second track. Sam watched as the coaster flew over the track, then his eyes widened in horror as the coaster somehow was diverted onto the second track and started heading straight toward Dean.

"Dean!" Sam yelled as he ran toward his brother. Dean couldn't hear him, between the loud music and the roar of the roller coaster Sam's warning was blocked out. Sam ran up the steps "Dean!" He screamed as he neared his brother. Dean looked up just as Sam dove across the track knocking him out of the way of the speeding coaster.

They both hit the ground hard and lay there trying to catch their breaths.

Dean recovered first and looked over at his brother who was wincing in pain.

"You okay Sammy?"

"Yeah." Sam said rubbing his ankle which had been clipped by the coaster as it went by.

"What the hell happened?" Dean looked back at the coaster.

"Somehow the coaster's track was switched. That thing came off the main track and heading right toward you."

"How did that happen?" Dean said getting up then helping Sam up.

"Some one messed with it….and I think I know who."

"Jack?"

"He was standing over there watching us."

"That doesn't mean anything Sam. I could have bumped the switch this morning when I was checking the track."

"Maybe…" Sam said looking down the runway in the direction Jack had gone.

"We don't know it was him Sam, and I don't want you to go starting something with him…I mean it Sam, stay away from him."

"I will, don't worry."

"Hey, why did you come over here anyway?"

Sam had almost forgotten what he wanted to see Dean about. He looked around for the scarf which he had dropped when he ran to Dean's aide, he found it and showed it to his brother.

"That girl was in The House of Mirrors yesterday. She was wearing this in the picture in the paper….. She was here at the carnival Dean; she didn't go to the movies."

"Okay, well at least we know she was here….but she could have left and still gone to the movie. We still have no proof that the carnival is connected to the disappearances. The only thing we can do is keep our eyes open and see if anything turns up."

Sam looked at his watch.

"Well I better get back to my station; it's about time to open up. If I was you I'd recheck that whole track….just to be sure….I'll check in with you later." Sam started limping away.

"Sam you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

"And Sammy stay away from Jack, he might not have anything to do with this."

"Yeah." Sam said putting his hand up to acknowledge that he heard him.

When he was sure he was out of Dean's sight he headed toward where he had last seen Jack.

"If I find out you tried to hurt my brother you're dead meat." Sam mumbled to himself as he walked.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for the reviews. Well the season opener was great. Our boys looked hot as usual. Love those boys! Thank God summer's finally over and we've got new SNs to look forward to. :-)

**Carnival of Death**

Chapter six

Sam walked over to the booth Jack was working at. His back was to him so Sam put his hand on his shoulder and spun him around.

"If I find out you had anything to do with messing with my brother's track…"

"Get the hell away from me!" Jack said shoving Sam away.

Sam started to reach for Jack but saw Kyle, the boss, coming toward them. He knew he could get thrown out of the carnival if caught fighting so he backed off.

"You stay away from my brother….this is between you and me, you let him out of it." Sam said to Jack as he walked away.

**Later**

In the early evening the lights at the back of the mirror house suddenly went out. Sam put up an out of order sign and went into the house and back to where the problem was. He began checking the electrical cords and found one near the exit that appeared to have been deliberately cut.

"Jack." Sam said to himself as he examined the frayed end of the cord. Just then he looked up and saw a girl looking back at him through the reflection in the mirror.

"I'm sorry miss but we're closed, you'll have to lea….." Sam said turning around expecting to see the girl standing behind him but no one was there. "What the f…..?"

Sam turned back and once more looked into the face of the girl, he recognized her immediately, she was the missing girl from the paper. He put his hand up to the mirror and realized in horror that the girl was inside the mirror. At first she just looked at him her eyes filled with fear but then all of a sudden she started to scream as slash marks appeared on her body in front of his eyes. Sam began frantically pounding on the mirror trying to break through to the girl but it wouldn't break. Then he watched as a dark black figure came up behind her and began to drag her deeper into the reflection.

"Nooooo!" Sam screamed as he kicked at the mirror trying to break it. He reached for his cell phone to call Dean and then swore when 'no signal' came on the screen. He quickly ran out the back exit hoping to get a signal and hoping to find something to break the mirror with. He had just started to call Dean when he heard a noise behind him but as he started to turn the side of his head suddenly exploded into a blinding pain. He collapsed in a crumpled heap, his cell phone flying from his hand. Jack stood over him holding a shovel which now had Sam's blood on it.

He then grabbed Sam under his arms and pulled him to a small storage shed a few booths away. Once in the shed Jack removed Sam's shirt and jeans then tied him spread eagle to one of the walls dressed only in his boxers. He smiled as he taped duct tape over Sam's mouth and eyes then backhanded him hard across his face. A trickle of blood ran down from behind the duct tape.

"Not so tough now are you?" Jack said as he punched Sam in his stomach.

Jack then left and returned a short time later with a paint ball gun.

"This is going to be fun." He said to himself as he began to shoot the paint balls at Sam's body.

**The roller coaster**

Dean looked at his watch, it was break time. He figured he'd head over to Sam's booth then go down to the food tent and pick up something to eat.

When he got to Sam's booth he saw the out of order sign hanging in the front.

"Sam! Sam you in there?" Dean yelled as he walked up the steps to the entrance of the house.

When Sam didn't answer, Dean figured he must have missed him on the walk over and went back to the coaster hoping to run into him on the way, but Sam wasn't there. He then went to the food tent and when he discovered he wasn't there either he began walking around the carnival grounds looking for him. He tried calling his cell phone but there was no answer. He was starting to get worried as he walked back to the mirror house and circled the outside of it, but there was no sign of his brother. Now he was really beginning to worry but he tried to keep his worry under control. The carnival was large and Sam could be anywhere, they could just be missing each other. Dean was about to walk back to the food tent when he saw Sam's cell phone lying on the ground. He picked it up and noticed that his number was on the screen; Sam had been trying to call him when he dropped the phone. But what really worried him were the drops of blood on the phone. …Sam was hurt! Dean could feel his heart pounding as he bent down and looked underneath the trailers in the area. Where was his brother? Not knowing where else to look he walked back to the mirror house. He could see that a part of the house was dark and he took a few steps inside then knelt down and picked up the cut cord. _What the hell was going on and where was his brother?_

"Sam! Sammy!"

**The storage shed **

Sam was now semi conscious and could feel the sting of the paint balls as they hit him. It felt like being stung over and over by bees. He struggled to free himself but the blow he took to his head made him dizzy and confused, it was hard for him just to stay conscious.

Jack looked at Sam's paint covered body and smiled. There was one more thing he wanted to do. He headed out side and looked around then walked over and picked up a pair of garden shears and headed back to the shed.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget." He said smiling.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, thanks for all the nice reviews. I'm glad you like it so far.

**Carnival of Death**

Chapter seven

Dean was coming down the steps of the house when he spotted Jack. He watched as he picked up the shears and headed toward the storage shed. He could tell he was up to no good and followed him. _If he's involved in this Sam I'll kill him_ he thought to himself as he followed Jack. In some way he hoped Jack was involved because if he wasn't, then where was Sam? Had what ever taken the other missing people, now have Sam also? And if it did, would he ever find his brother. Dean tried to get that thought out of his head. He was going to find Sam, and he wouldn't let himself think otherwise.

When Jack entered the shed Dean crept to the outside and listened at the door.

Jack walked over and stood in front of Sam snapping the shears open and closed in front of Sam's face.

"Now I'm going to turn you into a girl." He said as he put his hand on the waistband of Sam's boxers. He heard Sam's muffled cry from behind the duct tape and smiled as Sam weakly tried to pull away from him, but there was no where to go. "I'm going to enjoy this."

But his joy was short lived when Dean kicked in the door and stood there his face filled with hate and rage when he saw his brother tied to the wall.

"Get away from him you bastard!" He shouted at Jack realizing what he was about to do to his brother.

Jack spun around holding the sharp shears in front of him defensively.

Dean smiled to himself, he knew Jack was no match for him and couldn't wait to take his rage out on him for what he had done to his brother. He then glanced at Sam who hung from the wall barely conscious. He could see blood dripping down from the side of Sam's head and running over his shoulder and down across his chest and back. Dean glared at Jack.

"You son of a bitch, I'm going to kill you!" Dean said through clenched teeth.

Jack swung the shears at Dean who jumped out of the way then spun around and kicked the shears from his hand. Dean then spun around again and this time kicked Jack in the stomach sending him flying against the wall.

"Come on you bastard get up!" Dean shouted wanting nothing more then to beat the crap out of Jack for hurting his brother.

Jack got up and threw a punch which Dean ducked; he then threw his own punch into Jack's stomach doubling him over. When he turned away Dean kicked him in his rear end sending him flying. Dean walked over and yanked Jack off the floor and held him in front of him with one hand then backhanded him hard across his face with the other..

"That's for Sam!" He then punched him again in the stomach. "And that's for me."

Jack fell to the floor and lay curled up on his side; this time he didn't attempt to get up.

Dean went to Sam and cut him down from the wall, he collapsed into his brother's arms. He then carefully removed the tape from his eyes and mouth. Sam slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Dean, but Dean could see that his eyes were glazed and unfocused. Dean gently touched the bloody lump on the side of his brother's head where he had been hit. He knew just an inch lower and Jack might have hit him in the temple killing him instantly.

"Sammy? Sam you okay?" Dean asked as he tried to wipe some of the paint and blood off of Sam's face. He glanced at the small purple bruises that covered his brother's body from where the paint balls had hit him and could feel the hate for Jack growing in him. One of the marks was right under Sam's eye and Dean knew if it had hit his eye, even with the duct tape over it, it might have blinded him. "Sammy?" Dean gently patted his face.

Sam could hear Dean calling to him but his head was still spinning from the blow from the shovel and it took awhile before he could answer him.

"Dean…."

"Yeah Sammy it's me….just take it easy."

Dean looked back at Jack and resisted the urge to kick him in the face. He never kicked a man when he was down before and it took all of his will power not to. Jack had hurt his brother and might have killed him if he had used the shears on him and right now all he wanted to do was teach Jack a lesson, you don't ever mess with his brother. But Dean knew Sam was hurt and he wanted to get him back to their trailer where he could check out his injuries. Hopefully he wasn't hurt bad enough that he'd have to go to the hospital. He helped Sam get dressed then leaned down to Jack who still lay on the floor.

"You touch or even look at my brother again….I'll kill you." Dean meant every word of it.

Dean then put Sam's arm over his shoulder and led him back to their trailer. He kept to the back of the booths trying to stay out of sight of the rest of the workers the best he could.

Once they were safely in the trailer Dean had Sam undress to his boxers then gently removed the paint from his skin. He shook his head sadly when he saw all the bruises covering his brother's body. Most were small paint ball bruises but he also saw the dark purple bruise where Jack had hit him in the stomach and the bruise on the side of Sam's face and split lip where he had backhanded him.

"That son of a bitch!" Dean stood up, pissed off and wanting to go back after Jack.

"Dean let it go…." Sam said softly knowing what his brother was thinking.

"What happened Sam? Why did he go after you?"

"I ….I don't remember…."

"You went after him didn't you? I told you we weren't sure if he messed with the track or not, you should have left him alone Sam."

"I didn't touch him, I think I said something to him but then ….then I went back to my booth to work."

"What happened then?"

Sam grimaced in pain as he started to put his hand up to the lump on the side of his head but Dean quickly grabbed his hand stopping him from touching it.

"Don't touch it. Let me clean it up first."

Dean got their first aide kit and began to gently clean the cut on Sam's head. When he was done he filled a bag with ice and gently put it over the lump on Sam's head.

"Sam I found your cell phone. My name was on the screen…Why were you trying to call me?... Did you see something?"

Sam shut his eyes as a sharp pain shot through his head as he tried to think.

"I don't remember…."

"What _do_ you remember?"

"I remember the lights in the back of the house went out and I went to check…."

"Yeah, I saw that when I went looking for you….it looked like someone cut an electrical cord. Maybe Jack did, to get you to the back of the house so he could jump you."

"Maybe."

"But why did you try to call me?"

"I think….I think I saw something but…." He shook his head; he couldn't remember what it was.

"Try to think Sam. Did you see anything that might have been related to the missing people?"

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose trying to stop his head from throbbing as he tried to think.

"I….I'm sorry…..I can't remember."

"Okay Sam just relax don't worry about it. It will probably come to you later."

"I got to get back to work." Sam tried to stand but swayed and quickly sat back down.

Dean reached out and steadied him.

"Sam you're not going anywhere, not till you're feeling better. I'll make up an excuse for the boss and they'll get someone to watch your booth tonight."

"Well then you better get back to work."

"Sam, I'm not leaving you alone, not till I know you're okay."

"I'll be okay, but we both can't call off it will look funny, if you get fired we'll never find out if the carnival is involved in the disappearances."

"Sammy I don't know….you took a hard blow to your head…" Dean was worried about leaving his brother alone.

"Dean I'm okay….I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay."

"Okay…but you stay in and take it easy tonight. Don't go out, and don't open the door unless it's me." Dean was worried that Jack might come looking for his brother but he didn't think so. He had a feeling Jack would be staying far away from both of them. "And stay awake….you might have a slight concussion." Dean handed Sam his cell phone. "If you need me, call me. I'll check in with you every fifteen minutes to make sure you're awake. Maybe you can watch a little TV…." Dean turned on the small portable TV set which only got one channel clear. "Well that sucks…" He said as he turned it off. "Look why don't you just play around on the computer till I'm done for the night."

Sam gave his brother a small smile.

"Don't worry Dean I'll find something to do, but you better get back to your station before you get fired."

"Okay….but I mean it Sammy, if you feel sick or need me for any reason, call." Dean hated to leave but knew Sam was right, if they both got fired they'd never find out what happened to the missing people.

Dean finally left and Sam sat at the table trying to remember why he had tried to call Dean. Had he seen something? He knew it must have been important but the blow to his head made him forget whatever it was. He remembered going in the House of Mirrors to check on the lights, so he must have seen something in there but what? Hopefully when he went back to the house he'd remember.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks once more for the kind reviews, glad you're enjoying the story. LOL You guys crack me up with some of your comments.

**Carnival of Death**

Chapter eight

Dean was heading toward the boss's trailer when Janice walked over to him.

"Hi." He smiled at her thinking it was odd that Janice, knowing how jealous Jack was, would even talk to him.

"Hi." She smiled back shyly. "I was wondering if you saw Jack around. He always comes and walks me to the food tent but he didn't show up."

"No, I didn't see him for awhile." Dean lied, covering up for himself, he wondered if maybe he might have hit Jack a little too hard.

"Oh, okay, I thought maybe you might have seen him at the food tent."

"I wasn't there. My brother wasn't feeling well and I was back at the trailer with him. I was just on my way to tell the boss that he won't be able to finish his shift today."

Janice looked up and down the runway obviously worried.

"It's not like him not to show up."

"Well, I'll tell you what…I'll keep an eye out for him and tell him you're looking for him."

"No, don't do that. He'll get mad if he knew I was talking to anyone, especially about him."

"Well then how 'bout if I see him I'll tell you where and you can go track him down."

"I'd appreciate that, thanks."

Dean waited till Janice walked away then snuck back to the storage shed. He slowly opened the door hoping he wasn't going to find Jack's body inside. He knew he had been pissed off when he fought with him, but didn't think he had hit him hard enough to kill him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't find him. But if Jack was missing where was he? He dialed Sam's number.

"Yeah." Sam answered.

"How are you feeling?"

"I've been better, what's up?"

"Jack seems to be missing for the moment. I don't think he'd have the balls to come after you again but….just watch your back. And if he does show up, call me. You're in no condition to get into another fight with that idiot."

"You better watch your back too Dean. You're the one that smacked him around, he only used me for target practice."

"Yeah, but he was going to snap your gonads off, he might come back to collect them." Dean smiled to himself when he heard his brother shift uneasily over the phone.

"Just let me know when you find him okay?"

"You got it. I'll check back with you later."

Dean stopped at the boss's trailer and reported Sam off then headed to his station as he kept his eyes open for Jack. He checked in with Sam every fifteen minutes and was glad to hear that each time he checked Sam sounded stronger.

**Later**

At the end of his shift Dean walked around the entire carnival, Jack was gone, no one had seen him. He went back to the storage shed and carefully checked the area. He knelt down at the last place he had seen Jack and could see footprints leaving the shed. He knew both he and Sam had sneakers on but the footprints were made by a work boot, the same kind Jack had been wearing. Well that at least meant that Jack had walked out of the shed by himself. Dean followed the prints which led to the back of the mirror house, the same place where he had found Sam's cell phone; the place where Jack must have jumped him.

Dean walked up to the back entrance of the house, but didn't enter. He always had a thing about House of Mirrors, he hated them. When he and Sam were kids their dad had taken them to a carnival as a rare treat. He and Sam had gone into a mirror house and had become separated. He still remembered that claustrophobic feeling he had when he became trapped and couldn't find his way out. He could see Sam's reflection in the mirror but couldn't get to him. He could only watch in horror as a man took Sam's hand and started leading him away. He knew all about the rash of child kidnappings going on in the country and it had terrified him that this man might take his brother and he'd never see him again. But somehow Sam had gotten away from the man and found Dean and led him out of the house. He never went in another one after that.

If Jack was in there, what was he doing? Was he planning on waiting in there till Sam came back to work? Was he going to go after his brother again? Dean stepped slightly into the house but kept his hand on the outside wall.

"Jack I know you're in here." He yelled into the house but was only met by silence.

"You leave my brother alone or I swear I'll kill you." Still nothing. Dean turned to leave but a movement in one of the mirrors startled him. He could have sworn he saw a figure in one of the mirrors watching him but as he tried to get a better look it vanished. Dean hurried back down the steps, all his childhood fears about the mirror house coming back to him. He backed away keeping his eyes on the house. _It was probably just my_ _imagination_ Dean thought as he turned and headed back to the trailer.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks again for the reviews.

**Carnival of Death **

Chapter nine

"Hey." Dean nodded to Sam as he opened the door and walked into the trailer.

"You find Jack?"

"Nope. I followed his tracks to the mirror house but…." Dean stopped; too embarrassed to tell Sam that he hadn't checked inside.

"He wasn't inside?"

"I don't think so."

"Well I'll check the whole house out tomorrow after I repair that cord."

"I don't like this Sam. Why would Jack disappear?"

"I don't know. Maybe what ever took the others took him also."

"Or maybe he's hiding out somewhere waiting to take you on again."

"Well this time I'll be ready. He won't sneak up on me again."

"Well just watch your back and keep your eyes open."

"I will and you do the same."

"Did you remember yet why you tried to call me?"

Sam shook his head.

"No…I think I might have seen something but…. if I did ….I can't remember what."

Dean was going to mention the reflection in the mirror he thought he had seen but figured he had just spooked himself into imagining it. He knew the mirror house didn't freak Sam out the way it did him and he had hoped he was over his childhood fears but apparently he wasn't. Even now he could still picture Sam being led away by the stranger and seeing his reflection growing smaller and smaller and not being able to reach him. Sam of course had been too little to realize the danger he was in, but he hadn't. He had read in the paper of people stealing small children and then of their bodies turning up dumped along the side of the road, or sometimes not at all. He remembered pounding on the mirrors and screaming for Sam but his little brother thought it was all a joke and had ignored him. But as the man led him out of the house Sam broke loose from him and ran back into the house not wanting to leave his brother alone in the house. He shook his head slightly trying to get the memory out of his mind.

"You okay?" Sam asked seeing the look on Dean's face as he relived his past.

"Yeah….yeah I'm fine." Dean fought his way back to the present.

"What did you say to the boss?"

"I told him the lights had gone out in the house and when you went back to check on them you tripped and smacked your head against the frame of one of the mirrors. That will at least explain the bruises on your face. Just keep your shirt buttoned so he doesn't see the other bruises."

"I will."

Later during the night Dean took another stroll around the grounds hoping to spot Jack but it was like he had just disappeared into thin air. Was Jack a victim of whatever was going on? Or could he be involved in it? Dean had no way of knowing. He walked by the mirror house and stood across the runway from it looking at it. Maybe the way to deal with his irrational fear was to have Sam take him through it. But he didn't want to freak out in front of his brother; he would be mortified if he did that. When he couldn't find anything unusual happening at the carnival he headed back to the trailer.

When he opened the door and walked in he found Sam on his knees, his hands pressed against his temples grimacing in pain.

"Sammy!" Dean ran to his brother. "Sammy what's going on?" Dean knelt next to his brother and put his hands on Sam's arms and looked into his face. "Sammy."

Sam didn't answer but after a few seconds he lowered his hands and began to relax as the pain started to lessen.

"Sammy what's going on? Talk to me."

"I had ….I had a vision."

"What of?" Dean knew Sam had been having painful visions off and on for months but neither of them knew how to control them or how to stop the painful headaches that accompanied them.

Sam looked over at his brother.

"Jack…I think he's dead."

"What?" Dean swallowed hard, had he hit Jack hard enough to kill him?

"I saw him Dean….I saw him being sliced up….God there was blood everywhere."

"Sliced up? By who?"

"Some figure in a black cloak….He just kept slicing him with a long knife….and then….then he drank his blood."

"We're dealing with a vampire?"

"I don't think so….It was something different."

"Could you see where he was?"

"I'm not sure…."

"Is he still here Sam? Could you tell if he's still here at the carnival?"

"I think so…. but I'm not sure…I saw the others too ... I saw the missing people Dean. They're all dead….I saw them hanging by their arms… they all had their throats cut.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks once more for the nice reviews. :-)

**Carnival of Death**

Chapter ten

"So you don't think it's a vampire? Why not?"

"It was different somehow….I saw the thing slice Jack across his throat then put a silver cup up to his neck and after it had filled up with blood it smeared the blood all over its body then drank what was left in the cup, it seemed like some kind of ritual. I saw its face Dean…..It didn't just have fangs like a vampire, all of its teeth were filed to sharp pointed edges….I could feel its evilness…it wasn't a vampire…I'm thinking it was some kind of demon."

"Can you remember anything else?"

"I think he hung these people up then kept feeding off of them till they were bled dry. But for some reason I think Jack was killed outright…I don't know for sure though….." Sam shut his eyes for a few seconds trying to remember. "It's hard to say."

"But you think its somewhere here, in the carnival?"

"It felt like it was but…." Sam ran his hand through this hair. "Who knows…" He looked at Dean and shook his head wishing he could tell him more.

"Well hopefully a salt gun and holy water will work on this thing. I'm going to go back out there and see what I can find."

"I'm going with you."

"Sam you just had your bell rung. I think you should take it easy for awhile. I can handle this."

"No way….we're not even sure what we're dealing with." When he saw the concerned look on Dean's face he added. "I'm fine Dean….and I'm going with you."

Dean was about to object but then figured at least if Sam was with him he could keep his eye on him and wouldn't have to worry about him being alone back at the trailer.

"Okay, but we stick together."

They first stopped at their car and each took a sawed off shotgun filled with salt and a bottle of holy water. They put the shotgun in their waistband and covered it with their jackets. They then started at the ticket booth and slowly walked through the carnival covering the entire area. Once more then found nothing.

"Maybe this thing takes people from the carnival but doesn't stay here, maybe it takes them somewhere else." Sam said looking around.

"Yeah, it would be easy pickings. People come and go all the time."

"Yeah but where is it grabbing them from? Most demons work from a central location….And where is it storing the bodies?"

"I don't know. We went over the entire area with an EMF and came up with nothing."

"Not exactly …. We did get readings but just assumed they came from all the electrical equipment…."

"So maybe it _was_ picking up something paranormal."

"Could be."

"Well, do you remember when the detector started flashing?"

"Not really, I just remember every time we walked by equipment or rides the thing went off."

"Well that's not going to do us any good. This whole area is littered with stuff like that."

"Well there's not much more we can do tonight. Why don't we turn in then get a fresh start tomorrow."

"Sounds good."

Frustrated they headed back to their trailer.

**The next morning**

Dean headed over to the House of Mirrors with Sam to help him fix the electrical problem before they had to open up for the day. He stayed outside or as close to the exit as he could while Sam went inside and removed the cut wiring. Sam could sense Dean's apprehension.

"So these things still bother you?" Sam smiled.

Dean looked away; he had hoped his brother hadn't remembered how he had freaked out when they were kids.

"Just don't like the damn things."

"I told you before Dean….All you got to do is put your right hand on the mirror and just walk, always keeping your hand on the mirror…it will lead you right out of the house. People get all confused in there and end up going around in circles, that's how they get lost." Sam could tell that didn't ease his brother's fears. "Look, why don't you come back here after our shift is over and I'll take you through."

"I don't need you holding my hand Sam." Dean said embarrassed, but he knew that was exactly what he needed to get over his irrational fear.

"Look, I'm just trying to help." Sam grabbed the new cord and went back inside. A few minutes later he came out and threw the switch. The dark section now was alive with thousands of little lights.

Dean glanced inside and immediately felt sick to his stomach when he saw the lights reflecting in the mirrors making it even more difficult to tell what was a mirror and what was an opening.

"Well I better get over to the coaster; it's almost time to open." Dean said grateful to have an excuse to get away from the house.

"Thanks for the help." Sam said as he started walking around to the front of the booth.

"Keep your eyes open Sam and watch your back."

"Yeah you too and double check that track before you open up."

"I will. You keep in touch and if you see anyone suspicious call me."

"Likewise."

**Later**

The day went by uneventful as hundreds of people went through the carnival and neither Sam nor Dean saw anything that looked suspicious.

As his shift ended Sam began shutting off the lights and sweeping out the trash that people had dropped in the house. Just as he was about to leave he saw movement to the left and slightly behind him. He turned around and looked right into the face of the demon from his vision , it was looking back at him from one of the mirrors. He grabbed his cell phone and at the same time backed up as he reached for his shotgun which he had hidden under his ticket booth. He pressed Dean's number.

"Yeah." Dean answered.

"Dean! …." Was all Sam could get out before a long skeleton like arm reached out and grabbed him and pulled him back into the house. He grabbed hold of the frames of the mirrors cutting his hands as he tried desperately to get away, but he was no match for the demon. It pulled him into its reflection then vanished along with him.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Once more thanks for the reviews. I really, really appreciate each of them. I hope you continue to like the story.

**Carnival of Death**

Chapter eleven

"Sam! Sammy!" Dean screamed into the phone. He had just put the last bunch of riders on the coaster and knew he'd get in trouble for leaving his booth but something was obviously wrong and he had to get to Sam. He ran over to the booth next to him "Bill watch my ride!" He shouted as he ran toward the mirror house.

**Mirror House**

"Sammy!" Dean yelled as he ran up the steps to the house. "Sammy you in there?"

When no on answered Dean looked frantically around the area, he wasn't even sure where Sam had called from. Maybe he had closed up the house and was on his way over to him. He could be anywhere.

"Sam!" Dean yelled again turning in a circle praying he'd see his brother.

He ran up and down the runway asking the workers if they had seen his brother anytime tonight. They told him they only saw him working at his booth; they hadn't seen him anywhere else.

"What's going on?" Kyle the boss asked when he saw Dean questioning the workers.

"My brother, I can't find him!"

"It's a big carnival, maybe you missed him, or maybe he's off with a girl somewhere."

"No…he tried to call me but we were cut off!"

"Your brother's a big boy, I'm sure he can take care of himself."

"The other people who disappeared around here families probably thought the same thing."

"Who are you?" Kyle looked at him suspiciously. "You a cop?"

"No, I'm not a cop."

"Then why do you care about the missing people? I heard you were asking questions back at the food tent about them. You related to one of them?"

"No….Look I just need to find my brother before he gets him." Dean looked frantically up and down the runway hoping to see Sam walking toward him with a big grin on his face for making him worry.

"Before who gets him?" Kyle asked. "What the hell's going on?"

"Never mind." Dean knew Kyle would think he was a lunatic if he tried to explain Sam's vision to him. "Please, you got to help me…The carnival's closing for the night, you got to give me some men to help look for Sam."

Kyle looked around.

"Okay, I'll have some of the guys who have already closed up take a look around." He then motioned a security guard over to join in the search.

"Thanks." Dean was already running down the runway shouting for his brother.

His search kept leading him back to the House of Mirrors. He could feel his whole body trembling as he looked into the semi darkness of the house. He took a few steps into it.

"Sam!" He shouted, and then took a few more steps, it was then he saw the blood on the frame of one of the mirrors and Sam's shotgun and cell phone lying on the floor. "Oh God…" He said softly as he looked into the mirror house. "Sammy!" He knew he had to swallow his fear, Sam might be hurt. He remembered Sam's instruction to always keep your right hand on the mirror and to just keep walking and you would eventually find your way out. Dean put his hand on the mirror and started into the house. His heart pounded and felt like it was going to break through his chest as he fought the claustrophobic feeling. A few minutes later he couldn't believe he had made it through the entire house without freaking out, he knew it was because his mind was on finding Sam and not on his fear. He was relieved he hadn't found Sam's body, but if he wasn't in the mirror house, where was he?

"Sammy." He said softly blinking back tears of worry and frustration. He had searched everywhere and didn't know where else to look. He was just about to go back to their trailer incase Sam was there when a splash of color and movement to his side caught his eye. He turned and looked into his brother's reflection.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks again for the kind reviews. I love reading them.

**Carnival of Death**

Chapter twelve

"Sam!" Dean spun around expecting to see his brother behind him but no one was there. He turned back thinking maybe he had just imagined it and looked into his brother's face. "Oh my God…" His eyes widened in horror as he realized that Sam wasn't behind him but was trapped in the mirror.

Sam could see Dean and he had pounded on the mirror till his brother turned around. He wasn't sure if Dean could hear him or could only see his reflection, but he had to warn him, he had to get Dean out of the house before he too was taken. Once the demon had pulled him into the mirror it had vanished, why, Sam had no idea. All he knew was that he was trapped and there was no way out. He could see Dean pounding on the mirror from the other side trying to break through to him.

"Dean go, get out of here!" Sam yelled pointing toward the exit.

But Dean ignored him as he frantically began kicking the mirror trying to break it. He knew Sam was trying to get him to leave but there was no way he was leaving without his brother.

Sam shook his head, he knew the demon was nearby; he had to get Dean out of there.

"No! Get out of here!" He kept pointing toward the exit.

Dean looked down as he kicked the glass as hard as he could trying to break it but when it wouldn't break he looked back up and saw something that terrified him….the demon was coming up behind Sam.

"Sam! Behind you!" Dean screamed pointing toward the demon.

Sam couldn't hear his brother but he saw the fear on his face and knew what he was trying to tell him. He spun around and looked into the horrifying face of the demon.

Dean pulled out his salt gun out and began pounding on the mirror with the back of it as hard as he could, but it was useless, it still wouldn't break.

**Outside**

As Kyle and some of the men walked by they could hear Dean pounding on the glass and his desperate cries.

"What the hell's going on in there?" Kyle said as he and some of the men headed into the house.

**Inside**

"Sammy! Sam!" Dean screamed as he watched the demon begin to attack his brother. "Get away from him you bastard!" He shouted as he continued pounding on the glass.

Sam was no match for the demon who possessed super human power. Dean watched as slashes appeared on Sam's clothing and body. Sam fought back, but it was useless. His blood splattered the mirror as his body was thrown back and forth behind it. Far in the background Dean could see the missing people hanging by their wrists. Most of the bodies were already beginning to decay except Jack and the last girl who had been taken. All of them appeared to be dead.

"You son of a bitch let him alone!" Dean swore as he continued pounding desperately on the mirror trying to break it.

Then he watched in horror as Sam finally collapsed, too beaten to continue fighting. The demon looked out of the mirror at Dean and hissed at him as he began dragging Sam deeper into the mirror and over to the other bodies.

"Oh God no!" Dean pounded on the mirror with his fists. "Sam! Sammy!"

The demon drug Sam over to where the other victims were and tied him up next to them. He then took out a knife and made a small slash in Sam's throat, then put a silver cup under it and began the ritual that Sam had described in his vision. It smeared his blood all over itself then drank the rest of it from the cup. Tears ran down Dean's face as he choked back a sob thinking Sam was dead but then he could see his brother's chest rise and fall and knew he was still alive.

"Sammy!" He cried out in desperation, not knowing how to help him. Then suddenly the image behind the glass began to fade. "Noooo!" Dean began once more pounding on the glass with his fists. "Sammy!"

He never saw Kyle and his men come up behind him.

"What the hell's going on in here?" Kyle shouted as he walked up behind Dean.

"That thing's got my brother!" Dean continued pounding on the mirror, but the image now was gone.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kyle looked toward the mirror but only saw his own reflection looking back.

"You got to help me! You got to help me break the mirror! He's inside the mirror!"

Kyle looked back at the other men and nodded. Six of them stepped forward and began pulling Dean away from the mirror.

"No! No! He's got my brother!" Dean dropped the salt gun and holy water as he fought them. He was able to take four of them down but four more ran over to take their place and they finally managed to pull him away from the mirror and outside. "Let go of me my brother's in there!" He screamed as he struggled with them.

"Look I don't know what's going on with you….if your on drugs or what….."

"My brother's in that house! He's inside the mirror! All the missing people…. they're inside the mirror!" Even as Dean yelled it he realized what he must sound like to the men. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Look, I'm not a lunatic…you can let me go, I'll explain…."

As soon as Dean pretended to calm down the men relaxed their grip on him. When they did he spun around and grabbed the security guard's gun and pointed it at them.

"Back off! Back off!" He screamed as he backed into the house. Once inside he felt like he had been punched in the stomach, all the mirrors in the area he had been in now looked the same and he couldn't remember which one he had seen Sam in. He knew the gun held six bullets and there were nine mirrors directly in front of him, Sam was in one of them. He began firing one bullet at a time into each mirror praying he'd hit the right one, they each shattered into a million pieces. When he fired the fifth bullet into a mirror it also shattered but instead of just the frame remaining there was now a black mist covering the hole where the mirror had been. Dean didn't hesitate, he picked up the salt gun and holy water he had dropped and stepped into the frame.

The smell of decaying bodies and the iron smell of blood permeated the air. Dean opened the holy water and kept it in one hand while he kept the salt gun in the other. He winced as he looked at the blood on the floor, his brother's blood. He followed the blood trail deeper into a dark cavern littered with numerous passageways. He had seen the demon string his brother up with the others as he looked through the mirror but now that he was inside, everything looked alike and he had no idea which passageway led to Sam.

"Sammy!" He shouted down each of the passageways keeping the salt gun out in front of him. "Sammy!"

He could hear a low growl coming from one of them and slowly walked toward it. When he got to the end he found the bodies of the missing people including Sam hanging like pieces of meat from the ceiling. Sam, barely breathing, was the only one who appeared to be alive.

"Sammy…." Dean cautiously approached his brother; he knew the demon was more then likely lurking nearby. He began chanting a prayer in Latin as he headed toward Sam and could hear the demon's angry growl echo throughout the cavern.

"Oh God Sammy." He said softly when he was close enough to see his brother's badly beaten body. "Sammy?" He put his hand on Sam's face as he blinked back tears.

Sam slowly and painfully raised his head and looked into his brother's face.

"D….Dean…." He said weakly

Dean put the holy water down as he took out his pocket knife. He had just begun to cut Sam down when he was violently hit in the side. The knife flew out of his hand as his body was thrown away from Sam. The demon now stood in front of his brother holding Dean's knife. But before Dean could react the demon grabbed Sam's hair and pulled his head back then made a deep slash across his throat. Blood squirted from Sam's throat and ran down his chest as his body began to go into convulsions. The demon looked over at Dean as it licked his brother's blood off of his hand.

"Nooooooooo!" Dean screamed as he managed to get up and run toward his brother.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks again for the reviews, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

**Carnival of Death**

Chapter thirteen

Dean swung the salt gun up and fired at the demon. It growled at him in rage and started toward him but when he fired a second blast it screamed in agony and ran off into the darkness.

"Sammy!" Dean cried out as he ran to his brother. He could see the pain and fear in Sam's eyes as he tried to speak but the only sound Dean could hear was his brother's blood gurgling in his throat.

"You're going to be fine Sammy; you're going to be okay." Dean kept reassuring his brother as he cut him down as tears ran down his face; he knew his brother injuries were severe. "Sammy you hang in there…. Do you hear me? ….You got to hang in there. I'm getting you out of here…." Dean kept saying as he gently lowered Sam to the floor. He then frantically tried to staunch the flow of blood but it was hopeless, the cut was too deep and the blood only bubbled through his fingers.

Sam grabbed Dean's arm and looked up at him. A million thoughts passed between the two brothers in that brief moment. But then Sam began gasping for air as he choked on his blood and began to panic when he couldn't breathe. Dean pulled him into his arms desperately trying to comfort him.

"Sammy please, you got to stay with me. Don't you leave me Sammy…you got to hang tough. … I'm going to get you out of here, and everything's going to be okay…but you got to hang in there Sammy." Dean shoved the holy water into his pocket then began dragging Sam toward the broken mirror; his only thought was to get Sam to medical attention as soon as possible. But then a cold pain of fear shot through his heart when he felt Sam's body go limp.

"Sam? Sammy?" Tears streamed down Dean's face as he laid Sam on his back and began giving him CPR. "Come on Sammy breathe! Breathe!" Even as Dean breathed air into Sam's mouth he knew it was hopeless, the air couldn't get past Sam's slit throat and to his lungs. "Oh God Sammy no! Don't do this to me Sammy! Please don't do this to me!" Dean sobbed as he pulled his brother's lifeless body into a tight hug. Dean finally released Sam and put his mouth next to his brother's ear as tears flowed down his face. "I'm taking you home Sammy, we're going home buddy. I'm getting you out of here."

Heart broken, Dean continued dragging Sam toward the mirror frame but as he neared it the demon appeared in front of it licking its lips as it looked at Sam's body.

"Get the fuck out of my way you bastard! You took my brother's life; you're not taking his body!" Dean pulled out the holy water and once more began chanting a prayer in Latin as he squirted the water at the demon.

The demon growled and hissed at Dean determined to claim Sam's body but when the holy water hit it it screamed in agony. Dean continued toward the mirror keeping his eye on the demon and squirting it with the water every time it got too close to his brother. Finally he managed to pull Sam through the mirror and was met by Kyle and his men who looked on in disbelief.

"My God you were right….He was in the mirror." Kyle's eyes were wide with shock as he looked at Dean and Sam.

Some of the men started walking toward the mirror.

"Don't go near it!" Dean shouted as the black mist once more covered the mirror frame. He sat on the floor cradling Sam's body whose blood now saturated Dean's clothes. Tears ran down his face, he knew his brother was dead.

"What the hell happened in there?" The security guard asked.

"You got to burn this place to the ground!" Dean said ignoring the question. "You got to do it now!" Dean knew the demon was still alive, he hadn't destroyed it.

"What? What are you nuts?" One of the men said turning toward Dean.

"That thing is still in there, it's not dead!"

"What thing? What are you talking about?" The security guard walked toward the mirror then jumped back when a long bony arm reached out of the mist and tried to grab him. "What the hell was that !"

"That's the reason we got to get out of here and burn this place down!"

Dean grabbed Sam under his arms and began pulling him out of the house. Kyle reached down and picked up Sam's legs and helped Dean get his brother outside. Dean gently laid Sam under a tree then ran back to the house and circled the entire perimeter of it with holy water preventing the demon from leaving. He then went back to his brother and knelt next to him pulling him back into his arms and holding him tight against his chest still trying to protect him even though he was gone.

"Burn it down!" He yelled over to Kyle who nodded to his men who then started the dry wood of the house on fire.

As it burned an ungodly howl of rage could be heard coming from inside the house. It quickly burned and eventually crumbled in on itself.

Dean looked at the smoldering ruins as he held Sam in his arms.

"We did it Sammy, we got rid of it. It won't hurt anyone ever again." Dean's voice choked with emotion as he looked down into Sam's pale face and gently pushed his long dark hair out of his eyes, eyes which now looked back up at him seeing nothing as they glazed over in death.

Kyle walked over to them.

"I'm sorry about your brother." He could tell there was nothing that could be done for him. "I'll help you take him over to the medical tent." Kyle reached down toward Sam.

"No!…. No, I just need to be alone with him for awhile."

"Okay….okay I understand." Kyle put his hand on Dean's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze then walked over to his men as they looked at the ruins of the house.

Dean sat on the ground holding Sam tight against him. He buried his hand in Sam's long hair and pressed his cheek against the top of his brother's head and sobbed.

"Oh God Sammy I can't do this without you?"

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks to all who took the time to review, I really appreciate it and loved reading your comments. This is the last chapter and as usual I hope no one is disappointed with the ending

**Carnival of Death**

Chapter fourteen

It was then he heard a soft moan and gently lowered Sam away from his chest. He knew what he had heard but it wasn't possible, Sam was dead. He couldn't allow himself to get his hopes up; he knew he couldn't go through losing his brother again. He shut his eyes, almost too scared to look at Sam's face, not wanting to see his brother's blank eyes looking back at him. He swallowed the lump in his throat then opened his eyes. Looking up at him was his brother, a confused look on his face.

"Sam? Sammy!" Tears of joy flowed down Dean's face as he pulled his brother into a hug then quickly lowered him embarrassed by his show of emotion. "But you were dead…"

"Dead?...What…what's going on Dean?" Sam said sitting up. The last thing he remembered was turning around and looking into the demon's face.

Dean gently touched Sam's neck. Where once there was a gaping wound there was now only a faded scar.

"Sam you were dead, I watched you die." He looked at Sam in disbelief.

"Hey…" Sam gave a nervous laugh. "You're beginning to scare me. I feel fine." Sam said sitting up then noticing the blood on both Dean and himself. "What's the hell's going on Dean? Whose blood is this?" He asked looking down at his chest.

"Yours." Dean knew no one could lose the amount of blood Sam lost and be sitting there talking to him.

Kyle walked over and stood in front of them, a shocked look on his face.

"Your brother was dead…there's no way he could have survived that wound." He said looking at Dean. "How….How could he…."

"I don't know."

"What about the others?" Kyle said looking back at the ruins.

"Oh God…" Dean also looked at the smoldering ruins. If Sam was alive, had those people been also?

"Dean, you saw the missing people?" Sam could tell by Dean's face that something was terribly wrong.

"They were in the house…My God I thought they were dead….but I thought you were dead …."

"You mean…." Sam couldn't bring himself to say it.

"We burned the house down to destroy that thing but…"

"They might have been alive?" Sam said horrified.

Dean ran his hand through his hair as he blinked back tears.

"I don't know…I don't think so but….This whole thing might have been some horrible illusion….I thought you were dead, but ….you're not."

Kyle looked at Dean.

"The House of Mirrors was once called The House of Illusions. You don't think…."

"I don't know what to think anymore….I know what I saw…and I know those people were dead."

"Well I know I saw that thing reach for the security guard…that was no illusion."

Dean looked back at Sam.

"How do you feel?"

"I feel fine." Sam looked down at himself; even the blood was now starting to fade from his clothes.

They watched as Kyle's men raked through the ashes wondering what they might discover.

"There's nothing here boss." One of the men yelled over to Kyle. "No bodies…nothing."

Dean and Sam looked at each other; they both could smell the sulfur in the air, evidence that a demon had been nearby. By why would it take the others and let Sam live? They knew they may never know the answer.

Dean could hear sirens approaching and right now all he wanted was to get out of there and not get involved with talking to the cops.

"Look, my brother and I need to head on out…there's nothing here but a pile of ashes so there shouldn't be many questions."

"I understand… go on get out of here. We'll just tell them there was an electrical fire and no one was hurt." Kyle knew that a lot of people who worked at carnivals tried to avoid the cops so Dean wanting to leave was no surprise to him.

"Thanks." Dean said as he shook Kyle's hand.

"I don't know who you boys are or what's going on here, but I do know I saw something in that house….something not human."

"Don't worry, it's gone now. But do me a favor; don't try to salvage any of the house. Build yourself a new one if you want to, but just don't use any pieces from this one."

"After what I saw I'll probably never build another one." Kyle patted Dean on the shoulder. "You boys take it easy." He said looking back and forth between them.

Dean and Sam headed back to their car.

"You really thought I was dead?" Sam asked.

"Sam, I didn't think it, I knew it. Your throat was cut clean through, no one could have survived that.

"Then how did I?"

"I don't know Sam. The only thing I can come up with is that there must have been a tiny bit of life still in you and when the demon was destroyed your life force was restored."

"But what about the others?"

"I saw them Sam….they were dead….I'm sure of it." Dean hoped he was right, he wouldn't allow himself to think he might have burned the house down around them.

"Then you think it's over? You think the disappearances will end?"

"Yeah I think it's over. Why,… don't you?"

Sam stopped walking and looked back at the carnival. He didn't know why, but he had a strange feeling. The demon had gone up in the fire, and the odds that there was more then one demon were minimal.

"I hope so." Sam said wondering why he couldn't shake the odd feeling as they continued walking toward their car.

The only thing Dean wanted was to get out of the town and hold up at a motel for a few days. He had almost lost his brother and the thought of going out on another hunt was the last thing on his mind right now. He knew they would, it was what they did, but the grief and loneliness he felt when he thought Sam had died would stay with him forever, and he never wanted to go through that again.

Neither of the brothers saw the creature who watched them through the reflection of the trailer's side mirror as they walked by. It was weak but it had somehow escaped the flames and had only moved to a new location. Someday, somehow it would get even with the men who had destroyed its lair and had almost destroyed it.

The End

Sorry to get some of you upset with the last chapter but you guys should know me by now. I'd never kill Dean or Sam off. If I did I wouldn't be able to torture them in another story.


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